I wanted to write something that pays the right respect to the cat that Salem was. He wasn’t just a cat, though. He was the stupidest, most pathetic cat you could ever meet. But he was the best.

The first time I met him, he ran behind the sofa in the care-home and hid until we got him out to take him home. We wanted two, a black boy, to call Salem (after the one in Sabrina the Teenage Witch), and another, either tabby to call Whiskers (after the food) or black and white to call Felix (after the other food!). We found two that were utterly perfect.

The first time we took them home, he was so terrified, he made a puddle on the kitchen floor, and ran away to hide from us. He soon got to know us though, and become a rather stupid, gangly, bandy little thing that couldn’t walk in a very straight line.

Salem was always terrified of everything that moved. Anyone that didn’t live with us was terrifying, but to us, he was the sweetest, soppiest cat ever. He would always come and be with us, whatever we were doing, whether it was homework or work or playing on the computer or eating dinner, he would sit on your lap or your homework or your laptop.

He was always adorable, he was my snuggly baby that hardly ever lashed out whatever we did to him. Not that we treated him badly of course, he had his pick of bedrooms, which would constantly change every week, and he got all the food he wanted, until he was called obese by the vet. Then he had to go on a diet. And I am safe to say that diet worked.

He loved sunbathing, which is why he is not really a black cat, he is rusty, from his nice suntan that he got every summer, without fail.

He also loved Whiskers. He would always want to sit with her, on her or right next to her, and wash her, much to her disgust. I’m pretty sure she’ll miss him too.

I don’t know what else I can say really. He was incredible. He was a part of the family, a part of all of us, and it’ll take a while to get over what’s happened. And I will get used to not having him around, but it will take a bloody long time. I just wish I could have spent more time with him in his last few days, and made sure he knew how much I’d miss him. But now, even though I’m not really religious, I’m pretty sure he’s up there somewhere in the clouds making everyone laugh and being loved and adored by my Nanna and Grandad, who I’m sure will look after him as well as we did.

I love you Salem, rest in peace, baby.